Li Syaoran
Syaoran Li (also known as Li Showron in the English Dub) is the deuteragonist of the anime and manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. He is also the main love interest of Sakura Kinomoto. Relationship with Sakura In the beginning of the series, Syaoran is extremely antagonistic towards Sakura, spawned from his belief that they should compete for the cards to see who is worthy of wielding them. On his first day at Sakura's school, before he even knows her name, he glares hatefully at her, causing her to worry. During recess, he proceeded to say she was hopeless as the cards' holder and physically attacked her in an attempt to steal them but was thwarted by Toya and Yukito. This was the start of a rocky relationship between the two for some time. Syaoran would ignore Sakura and reject her constant attempts to befriend him, seeing her as nothing more than a rival. Despite this, he does at times save her in critical moments and provides her with information about the cards. This and trying to capture the cards at the same time, gradually allows the two to learn to work together and they build a friendship that Syaoran doesn't fully recognize until halfway through the series. In episode 27, he blushes when Sakura hugs him and the following episodes show him being shy around her and growing increasingly worried for her safety and well-being, something that confuses him. After the Final Judgment, Sakura is declared the new master of the Clow Cards, leaving Syaoran, essentially, a failure. However, he congratulates her and even smiles for her, showing his respect for her. At the start of the third season, Syaoran plans on returning home to Hong Kong, China now that Sakura is the official mistress of the cards, but he promises to visit her someday. Then, newcomer Eriol Hiiragizawa comes from the United Kingdom and starts charming Sakura, much to Syaoran's dismay and disgust. When Sakura becomes quite sad that Syaoran is leaving, decided to extend his stay in Tomoeda. This was because, quoted by Tomoyo "a new rival" has appeared so going back to Hong Kong has been put off for a while". At this point in the series, Syaoran's feelings toward Sakura have slowly changed from that of rivalry to that of an elementary school crush. Sakura's consistently cheerful attitude and warm smiles cause more and more blushes on Syaoran's cheeks. Much to his surprise, Syaoran finds himself jealous over the fact that Eriol is getting too close to Sakura. As he becomes more aware of his deep feelings for her, his denial over the romantic nature of them also increases. However, with advice from Yue and Tomoyo, he eventually accepts that he indeed loves Sakura and wants to be with her. He tries to confess to her several times, but something always happens. After Sakura confesses to Yukito and is rejected, Syaoran comforts her and assures her that she will find the person she truly deeply loves. While he feels grateful at being able to help her, he is worried that his true romantic feelings for her will be a burden to her and is troubled of whether or not to tell her. Tomoyo manages to convince him that if he does confess, Sakura will really think about it and give him her answer. Some time later, after the final battle with Eriol, Syaoran finally confesses that he is in love with her face-to-face at the end of the next-to-last episode of the series. The news comes as a major surprise to Sakura, who had always viewed Syaoran as a close good friend. Sakura broods over the thought, especially after he tells her that he is glad he met her. At the same time, Syaoran is planning to leave Tomoeda for Hong Kong, China. Sakura hears about his unannounced leave just in time to run to find him at the airport. He is holding a homemade teddy bear, which he had considered giving to Sakura but never found the right chance. Instead, Sakura asks if she could have the bear in his arms. There is a tradition stated in the series (it is not an actual Japanese tradition) that when one person gives another a personally-made plush, if the receiver names the plush after its creator (the giver in this case), then both people will be together forever. Sakura is never seen giving a name to the bear, but the symbolism of her accepting his bear is enough to suggest that Sakura returns the feelings, despite how sudden they appeared. In the second movie, four months after the final episode, Syaoran returns to Japan with his cousin Meiling Li, who was having secret phone calls with Tomoyo Daidōji who helped plan their return. Tomoyo and Meiling attempt to organize outings for Sakura to tell Syaoran about how she feels but, rather amusingly, she gets interrupted until the end of the movie, where Syaoran sacrifices himself to the Sealed Card's attack so that Sakura wouldn't lose her most precious feeling. In tears, Sakura confesses her deep romantic love, believing that Syaoran had forgotten his romantic love for her. She begins to cry but Syaoran surprisingly replies "Me too, Sakura." Sakura is so overjoyed by the revelation, that she recklessly leaps across a large hole in the floor to reach Syaoran, despite his protests for her safety. The film ends with Sakura halfway through the air, but a still image (a special bonus art poster) released with the film along with it's DVD edition shows that she does in fact makes the leap, right into Syaoran's arms. The manga concludes the development of their relationship differently. Instead, after a major battle, as in the anime, Syaoran finds a quiet moment in Penguin Park to confess his love to Sakura. Sakura, again, is left in a mild state of shock as she tries to absorb the words, while Syaoran, content after revealing his feelings, tells her to be careful going back home and then leaves. The rest of the volume of the Cardcaptor Sakura is focused on Sakura trying to work out her feelings for Syaoran. She eventually runs into Syaoran as he is packing up to leave for Hong Kong, now that the purpose for his coming to Japan are over. After Sakura realizes (with the help of her friends) that she too loves Syaoran, she succeeds in confessing her feelings to him just as he is about to leave for Hong Kong, along with giving him the teddy bear she made. Syaoran promises her that he will return once his work in Hong Kong is finished, and she promises to wait for him as long as it takes. Two years later, a 14-year-old Sakura is (again) late for school. Rushing along the way, she sees Syaoran, who is also dressed in a Tomoeda secondary school uniform, holding the bear that she gave him. Syaoran is happy to announce that he is through with his duties in Hong Kong and is now in Tomoeda to stay for good. There would be no more need for letters and phone calls any longer. Sakura, filled with happiness, jumps into Syaoran's arms and happily exclaims that they can be "together forever". In xxxHOLiC, it is revealed by Yuko that Syaoran and Sakura are living together as boyfriend and girlfriend. External Links *Syaoran Li - Cardcaptor Sakura Wiki Category:Anime Love Interest Category:Manga Love Interest Category:Movie Love Interest Category:Rocky Upstart Category:Love Triangle Category:Male Love Interest Category:TV Love Interests Category:Love Interest With a Love Rival